and she's named Paganini and skating for Switzerland, but she skated, until last year, for the US and is actually American. With no decent path to our team she did what many do: went to a nation she could qualify for the team...in this case, her dad's birthplace.

Well-Known Member

Back in the old days (up to 1990), there were three phases to the competition. First, the "figure" phase, in which skaters had to create figures (circles, triangles, etc.) on the ice. Judges would walk over and inspect the grooves left by their skates -- very strange to our eyes today. Next was the short program, in which skaters had to perform a set list of elements, though I believe they could choose the order. The final item was the "free skate", when skaters could choose what elements to perform.

These days, only the latter two phases survive. Probably a good thing overall. I wish they had been eliminated just a little earlier, as there's a good chance Midori Ito would have taken a gold medal without them.

Dope

Me to, I just want to see what she has in store for the final skating spectacular. Plus it feels like it is her time. Obviously body changes, injruries, etc, might change things, but right now it is hard to imagine Alina not dominating the competition in 4 years, just destroying records

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